Licensing & courses
Target shooting or recreational hunting is a sport that can be enjoyed as a group or an individual. You will need to apply for a firearms licence. To obtain this license you will need to complete a fire-safety awareness course and pass the test. You will also be required to pass the R-Licence course in order to hunt on public land.
No pre study is required although general knowledge of firearms will assist.
Please refer to our resources page for course materials.
In New South Wales, you are required to have a good character for possessing and using a firearm such as sports and target shooting or recreational hunting and pest control.
Before you can apply for a gun licence, you are required to attend a safety awareness course. We are authorised to conduct safety training on behalf of the NSW Firearms Registry. It consists of theory and practical handling but does not include discharging your firearm.
You must bring identification such as a current NSW driver licence or an original birth certificate. You will be asked you to fill in a form to confirm your eligibility prior to the course. On completion of the course, you will get a Statement of Attainment which is only valid for 12 months. It is your responsibility to submit your firearm licence application, along with supporting paperwork via post to:
NSW Firearms Registry
Locked Bag 1
Murwillumbah, NSW 2484.
Before you can apply for a NSW Restricted Game Hunting Licence (R-Licence) to hunt on public land, you must undergo training and belong to an approved hunting club. This ensures you are a responsible, competent hunter with a knowledge of laws, safety rules and animal welfare.
The R-Licence is a multiple choice, open book test which usually takes about 45 minutes to complete. Open book means you will be able to refer to the handbook for the answers. It’s designed to test your comprehension, not your ability to remember facts and statistics.
We conduct R-Licence Accreditation Courses as part of the Hunter Learning, Education and Accreditation Program (LEAP).
If you need assistance in reading and understanding the Hunter Education Handbook, assessment questions and any other information, contact the Game Licensing Unit on 02 9842 8351 or hunter.leap@dpi.nsw.gov.au before attempting the test or use our resources tab for course material.